Key Federal Nutrition Programs
The federal government’s historic, bipartisan commitment to preventing hunger
and improving nutrition rests primarily on these seven programs:
•
Food Stamps/SNAP
, known as the
Food Supplement Program
(FSP) in
Maryland, is the cornerstone of the food security safety net. It helps lower-
income individuals and families buy food, it lifts people out of poverty and
it expands during a recession to meet rising need and serve as an economic
stimulus.
•
The School Lunch and Breakfast Programs
boost children’s health and
educational achievement, improve school discipline, reduce school nurse visits
and improve nutrition throughout the school years.
•
The At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program
reimburses afterschool care providers
for nutritious meals, thereby supporting programs that keep children safe and
advance their development in the critical hours after school lets out, during
weekends, and on school vacations.
•
The Summer Food Service Program
provides children who receive free
breakfasts and lunches at school with continued good nutrition over the
summer.
•
WIC
has helped pregnant women, infants and young children receive proper
nutrition ever since its founding in 1974, reducing infant mortality and low birth
weight, and dramatically improving child health.
•
The Child and Adult Care Food Program
funds nutritious meals for children in
Head Start, child care centers, and homeless and domestic violence shelters.
And when school is out and children
receive meals through the Summer Food
Service Program, they stay well-nourished
on a year-round basis.
Equally important, during tough
economic times, these programs are
especially critical because they not
only alleviate hunger — they help lift
individuals and families out of poverty.
In addition, when all Marylanders can
go to a nearby supermarket or grocery
store or otherwise obtain nutritious food
at a price they can afford, people will be
healthier and obesity will decline.
Today, Maryland Hunger Solutions
has established itself as a pillar of the
Maryland and Baltimore City anti-
poverty, child advocacy and social justice
communities, forging relationships
with federal, state, and local agencies
and other stakeholders, and making
considerable progress toward reducing
hunger among low-income Marylanders.
It has become the thought leader and
central convener on nutrition and anti-
hunger policy issues in Maryland — the
key source of research, data, and anti-
hunger policy ideas for the legislature,
state agencies, nonprofits and other
stakeholders to adopt, and the hub of
a diverse group of partnerships and
coalitions.
F IVE YEARS OF SOLVING HUNGER AND IMPROVING NUTRI T ION IN MARYLAND
4
SOLVING HUNGER AND IMPROVING NUTRIT ON IN MARYLAND: THE FIRST FIVE YE RS
